Panacea
by Isolith
Summary: The solution – to friendship, to tension, to touching, to handholding, to gazes – inevitably shows itself. Andy/Sharon.
1. Chapter 1

**/PANACEA/**

_Summary: _The solution – to friendship, to tension, to touching, to handholding, to gazes – inevitably shows itself. Andy/Sharon.

_A/N: _I just wanted to write a short smut fic about that precious first time 'fuck' in a relationship but nooooooooo! It took a devious fluffy romantic detour instead, demanding to even be a multi-chapter. Yikes.

Hope you enjoy =)

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><p><strong>Part I<strong>

The first time, unsurprisingly, was well-planned in advance.

Not well-planned as mutually agreed upon verbally. No, it hung heavy in the air between them, unspoken, unresolved tension whenever she happened to stand too close to him. It hung heavy like two celestial bodies in gravitational orbits inevitably meeting; the point of convergence was in her mind too explicit to talk about. Despite the natural progression that surely followed the path of handholding and drugging kisses, it was an astronomical gap to leap across even if she had spent an inordinate amount of sleepless nights cataloguing fantasies. Daylight had her dissecting those exact fantasies as follies – as a too great divide to attempt to cross.

In all honesty she was on the cusp of rapturous panic.

So in an effort to dismiss anxiety, Sharon Raydor confidently chose a suitable night and calculated the route of fine dining to her bedroom, determined to bring about this tight ball of mixed anxiety and excitement in her chest cavity. Her whole being had hovered precariously between these two life states, mutually exclusive and yet tightly alloyed, and the back and forth would not hold in the long run. It sprung euphorically up through her abdomen, pooling from the center of her groin to somewhere just beyond her sternum, pulsating and animated. It tingled to the tip of her fingers and it brought forth a dyspneic sensation.

She steeled herself, and yet she also melted.

A conundrum.

Alone at night she could admit, in a fit of frankness and self-awareness, that the idea of intimacy frightened her to the core, past experiences painting everything in a gruesome light. The notion of letting anyone that close to her, whether it was her heart or her body, was devastating. Jackson had left his footprint; heavy and sunken in imprint. Exposing herself in the work sphere was easy and ingrained but the moment the tables turned, her personal life involved, it caused ripples in otherwise calm waters.

At night she could even acknowledge that she felt inadequate in matters of romance and in the subject of sex – and yet at night she felt magically imbued when she thought long enough about it – about him. There was just enough longing and desire to compensate the feeling of inadequacy and so most nights she lingered on pleasant dreams.

The very night in question began different than she had assumed.

Maybe she should have let him in on the secret, on the plan so to speak.

Sharon was beginning to think Andy Flynn was being obtuse on purpose.

How many times in a conversation could she casually sneak in that Rusty was away for the whole weekend without seeming completely bold seeing it was Friday? Or without it seeming so obvious that she might as well say it out loud to him?

Andy, ever wearing his trademark lopsided smile, eyes merrily twinkling without a care in the world, was deeply fascinated by the vegetarian main course – the beansprouts, truffle sauce and Indonesian butterfish apparently to die for, accordingly Sharon was extensively informed about a herb garden he was contemplating starting up, possibly once he retired, not that _that_ would be within the near future, and then he laughed a little too forced. Then the man became even more interested in the subject of their latest case, yet to be solved, chatting away with his hand this and that way.

It would be intriguing but all Sharon could think about was how to get him on the same wavelength – and then all she could think about was how everything would unfold; a train of thought that left her feeling impatient and nervous.

Oh, the man was attentive as always; a curious aspect of his that she found surprising and endearing. He was a good listener and he was a gentleman – he was just missing all the signs, either out of obliviousness or on purpose.

Sharon found herself humming more often than not, her impatient mood prompting her to linger on touches between them, trying to coax some reaction out of him.

Andy cordially requited every touch albeit the manner was a tad friendlier than she would have liked. Restrained in some fashion, as if he was holding back. Which was a confusing concept seeing they were officially on a date. Well, as officially as they could be under the circumstances.

On numerous occasions Sharon let her hand stray and land on him – his knee, his elbow, his wrist – with prolonged touches she followed with less than subtle looks and yet she was waiting for him to acknowledge that tonight was different from any other night they had dined out.

Apparently Sharon needed to spell it out for him; he seemed to be clueless about the fact that she would be inviting him up to her apartment and into her bed at the end of their date – or maybe she was reading everything wrong.

Needless to say, dinner was a nightmare. A nightmare of raw bundles of nerves that tittered every time he so much as looked at her; she wouldn't be surprised if she developed a nervous tic by the end of the night or needed to spend the rest of the night peeing seeing she was consuming more water than her thirst required.

When Andy looked on the verge of ordering desert and coffee, his eyes drawn once again to the menu card, Sharon promptly interceded. She smoothly looped her arm though his and leaned heavily into his shoulder and then with more bravado than she thought existed in her, she let her mouth hover precariously close to the shell of his ear.

"I have dessert and coffee at my place," she whispered, her hand gliding loosely down his arm till she could tighten her grip around his elbow, "and even all the ingredients for breakfast tomorrow."

She heard the hitch of his breath and watched his smile falter curiously. His Adam's apple bopped up and down and for an uncharacteristic moment he simply stared sideways at her, his mouth apart in surprise.

"Oh, okay," he stuttered uncertainly, his finger on the table-cloth in a likewise nervous pattern, "I mean that sounds, erm, great."

This close to him, he smelled too good to let go and so she enjoyed the warm scent of him up close, the muscles in his arm twitching beneath her grasp.

Just when she started to feel sufficiently self-conscious, the man finally spoke again, this time more in lieu of his sure self. Andy leaned into her and then whispered back, "Just for the record, when you say coffee – what exactly are you, you know – saying? And breakfast, does that mean you want me to stay over – on your couch, or?"

Sharon leaned slightly back but kept a firm hold of his arm.

There was a look of curiosity in his expression and in the depths of brown eyes, an even warmer look.

"Do you even have to ask?" she quirked an eyebrow, her mouth twitching into a smirk because against all odds, he was also out of his comfort zone. The notion calmed her.

Andy gave an eager nod, "Oh yeah, I definitely do. I really have to ask – because I don't wanna screw this evening up."

She briefly looked at the table-cloth, hiding the warmth of her smile.

"You are not going to screw anything up," she told him, confident in her assessment.

He gave a good-naturedly shrug, "I thought we were taking it slow, you know, the whole relationship thing."

She shook her head, feeling breathless and even more flustered when his eyes darkened.

"You know I will be fine with whatever coffee you wanna invite me over for, right?"

There was a timbre of humor in his voice.

This time she leaned back towards him, her smile easily depicted as beaming.

She whispered, "I fully intend to invite you over for the good kind of coffee."

Andy chuckled, "Oh, so that's the game we're playing."

She wet her lips and then gave a small nod, just perceivable enough to warrant another wide smile from him. Her voice was playful when she answered, "Oh and other kinds of games – foreplay comes to mind."

"Well then, let's just ditch this place alright," he grinned and then surprised her when he patted her knee under the table cloth before he softly gripped around her thigh, the squeeze soft yet tantalizing.

Everything escalated from there.

When they walked to his car, his hand lingered surely on the low point of her spine and once, in the cover of the darkness outside a street lamp, the hand even snuck downwards in a caress.

Their hands briefly touched over the console in his car, the tingling of anticipation spreading throughout her body both when he touched her and when he did not. It simmered beneath the surface of her skin, unfolding and promising to soon let completely loose. She felt warm, unbelievable warm, and the darkness outside the car only heightened her senses.

Once, his hand strayed and his fingers tentatively touched her thigh in between shifting gears, his head turned for a brief second. His gaze blew through her not unlike a silent explosion; it rendered her speechless. So she spent the last minutes of the car ride embarrassingly silent, too preoccupied to think about anything but the tension in her body.

When the elevator doors of her condominium complex opened to the ground floor, Andy guided her inside with a gentle hand and then cheekily commented, "Coffee at 11 pm, my my, what a rulebreaker, huh."

Sharon laughed somewhat nervously, "Oh, don't start. I'm not a hall monitor nor do I have a schedule for when coffee should be consumed."

Andy chuckled in return, "I won't start then. I'm just trying to alleviate all the tension, lighten up the mood. You do seem a bit tense."

She quickly looked away from him.

He was partly right; the closer to her front door and her apartment, the closer to the actual act. In some ways she wanted it to be slow and patient, with plenty of time for exploration and focus but in other ways she simply wanted to skip foreplay entirely and just have him inside her.

The elevator doors closed and the sound was almost ominous.

Sharon sought him out first when the elevator took them up with a low hum. Her hand reached out and she drew a slow line down the side of his thumb, over the back of his hand and then he caught on, grasping her fingers. Handholding, so innocent and yet so meaningful. It still baffled her that the simple act of holding his hand could elicit such turmoil in her – and that it still felt raw and new when in actuality they had been holding hands on and off over the course of many months now.

His palm was warm, just on the verge of being sweaty, and his thumb touched patterns upon her hand and over her knuckles.

She smiled invitingly up at him.

Andy cleared his throat and then his eyes took a detour to their connected hands before he locked his eyes on her.

"Did I tell you Nicole invited me to the boys' birthday?" his tone was oddly rough but she took comfort from the caress he kept applying to the side of her hand.

Sharon smiled wider, "No, you didn't."

He looked relieved, "Oh, she did. You are invited as well – if you would like to, I mean. I mean, only if you want to and your schedule is clear."

She hummed in reply and then let her gaze sweep down his chest instead, the color of his tie and the turquoise shirt, stylish and soft to touch. The shape of his jacket. Then she let her gaze travel lower to his belt and pants, then to the junction of his thighs – and then quickly up again, to his brown warm eyes, her own cheeks heating up.

The doors opened to her floor and Sharon walked in front of him as they walked down the hall.

Sharon leaned towards him as she put her key in the lock, her voice teasing, "So what coffee blend do you feel like, lieutenant?"

"Blend?"

The front door opened.

Sharon took a step inside, "I have mild Ethiopian beans and then a stronger Indonesian blend."

"The strong one," he replied with a chuckle and a raised eyebrow, "I like them strong."

He surprised her when he slipped his hand around her waist and held her on the threshold, turning her around to face him. His thumb went up and down in a reverent pattern, his breath warm as he looked at her. Thankfully her heels were high and she did not have to crane her neck too much.

Her breath hitched at the contact.

The kiss that followed was short and sweet.

She would almost liken it to being friendly if it was not for the pressure in her chest that threatened to run wild; if he had had any other look in his eyes but that dark shimmering desire and then maybe it would have felt merely friend-ish.

As it was, it felt earthshattering.

…

_The dim of exuberant voices and the upbeat orchestra was thankfully subdued out in the back hall. _

_There was cool air to breathe in and there was room enough to leisurely move without stepping on someone's toes. Sharon did not get the chance to breathe anything in but the sweet taste of Tiramisu and bitter coffee on soft lips that eagerly landed on her own the very moment the door into the oval ballroom closed. _

_Andy Flynn was nothing if not relentless. _

_Only, the man was reckless in a fashion that had her underwear in an undeniably arousing twist; in that exciting way where it evoked sparkling heat to coalesce in the lower pit of her abdomen. Her thighs had been pressed tightly together throughout the main serving of food, in no way alleviating the tension. It had only reinforced that part of her anatomy that vied for attention. It had only resulted in a lot of fidgeting and nervously stuttering whenever someone had posed a question on her. _

_It did not help that the culprit – the man charmingly astute in his dark suit and purple tie – had been palming her knee and upper thigh all night long, the gesture hidden under their table, right under the eye of a congressman or two, Chief Taylor off to the side remaining oblivious. Andy had purposefully neglected the warning scowls she had sent his way._

_For all practices and purposes she should not be reciprocating his kiss._

_She did kiss him back however, the notion to not kiss him back when he captured her mouth in a surprising kiss absurd. _

_The kiss was glorious, she would give him that. _

_Yet she felt truly exposed and uncomfortable, standing out in the open and being thoroughly kissed by him, their bodies too close to explain away. Anyone could walk in on them, either on their way to the restroom, the coat room or to get a bit of fresh air. She did not like the odds. _

_The notion of getting caught was as exciting as it was nerve wrecking. So Sharon quickly wrapped her fingers tightly around the labels of his jacket, hesitating when he made to deepen the kiss further. She evaded his mouth._

"_Andy," she breathed with a little puff of aggravation, holding onto him with tense, now white fingers, "we talked about this."_

_He lifted a mocking eyebrow._

_Okay._

_She could relent; talk was maybe not the correct phrase._

_They had not talked that extensively about it, their relationship and where it was headed, not in a way that qualified proper talk. They had touched upon the subject but it had not been talked about – not genuinely and truly since the shipping yard. After that whole debacle, in a show of confidence, she had talked to him about certain concerns she had when it came to the two of them; one of those finer points had revolved around public displays and work functions. _

_True to her earlier reflection, Andy Flynn only grinned cheekily at her outburst and then leaned down and kissed her again. The man was reckless, indeed. This time he also bumped his hips against hers, quite on purpose, his hands soft upon the top of her bare shoulders._

_To say she was not affected was a lie. _

"_Not here," Sharon said, her voice resigned but elated. _

_It was late and nearing midnight and she felt uncharacteristically bubbly with giddiness._

_She latched onto his hand and pulled him further into the hallway and away from the festivities. They went through a personnel door that led through a narrow, cold corridor, the place devoid but for a passing waiter. _

_Her smile was broad and animated as she pulled him through another personnel door into a back alley stacked with boxes. The alley was empty for other human beings, the low orb of the moon having just appeared above the crest of a fence. _

_The darkness felt comforting and secluded. _

_The moon, half obscured by a palm tree now, felt romantic. _

_She barely noticed the trash cans – mostly because his lips descended on hers again the moment they went through the door, brisk air demanding he step closer to her as well. His body covered hers in warmth, full contact delirious. _

_She barely had time to think before he quite determinedly pushed her against the brick wall just next to the entrance door. His hands went into her hair and then flittered to her neck – he apparently changed his mind again and instead let them slip onto her hips, pressing into the clothed flesh of her waist._

_Sharon exhaled rather deeply when he let go again. _

_Motionless and trancelike, he rested his lips on hers, his eyes closed. She tried to get her breath under control, to get some sort of bearing of the situation but she couldn't contain the way her mouth automatically curled upwards in excitement. Nor could she deny the feeling of fire that coursed through her, leaving a blazing trail of desire down from her lungs to the core of her groin. _

_She was not used to sneaking off from police commissioner's New Year's celebrations to kiss a coworker. She was not used to being kissed like this. There were a lot of things she was not used to – and recently she found herself embracing them fully. _

_Sneaking off felt entirely too sinful. _

_Only, it felt sinful in that way where her lips tingled at the prospect of further kisses in the dark and only in that way where her fingers itched to touch him back too. In that sure way where her center throbbed and she could feel the bottom of her underwear moisten in anticipation. _

_Her fingers went into his hair and she pulled him further away, eye contact between them suddenly feasible._

_If she had to pick one emotion in his eyes then it would be warmth. _

"_Have you lost your mind?" she asked him opting for sounding scandalized. It was a shaky success; she only sounded out of breath and happy. _

_Andy smiled, "Nah, not my mind. My heart though, that's another matter."_

_She smiled back, hesitant at first and then brightly. _

"_You cannot kiss me whenever you see fit to it," she started to admonish him but his smile stayed the same. She smiled giddily, "You cannot drag me into secluded places, just to overwhelm me like this."_

_Andy shrugged, "You started it, and may I remind you, Captain, you dragged me out here."_

_She raised one eyebrow in disbelief, "I have done nothing to instigate anything. I have barely touched you tonight."_

"_Exactly – you haven't touched me at all. In fact you have barely looked at me all night. And when you do look at me, it's with that look where you look entirely too kissable and inviting. You should applaud me for the strength to go through a whole three course dinner – I thought about dragging you away just when we got our appetizers and Taylor began to embellish his accomplishments as Chief."_

"_I don't look too kissable," she disagreed with a smile. _

"_Oh, you sure do," he grinned, "Just like now."_

_To prove his point he kissed her again, this time it was short and more a peck on her lips. _

"_Andy," she drawled his name, half admonishing and half wondering. _

"_Hey," he ran his hands down the length of her arms, catching her fingers in a gentle hold, "I'm sorry if it's too much. I just feel, a bit excited, you know."_

_She quickly shook her head, "No, no. Don't apologize. It's just me, I'm not used to all this, – oh I don't know." _

_She sounded exasperated. _

_She cleared her throat and then said, "It's so new this thing – between us. It's new for me."_

_He nodded and squeezed her hands. _

"_I'm not sure how it fits in with the rest of my life," she explained, "I'm not even sure how I fit in it at all."_

_She wanted to tell him she was out of her depth, out where she couldn't reach the bottom. That the prospect of being in a relationship again frightened her to the core even if it was what she wanted. That was the crux; she had not given into her desires for a long time. Usually her personal wants – her yearnings and her sexual, romantic wants – had been pushed aside for the sake of others and her sanity. Career and children; that had been her life for a long time, with a little side order of Jackson rearing his ugly head. _

_Andy leaned further towards her, his hand on her cheek in a soft touch. His thumb was just in front of her ear now, his hand cradling one side of her head. _

"_That's the exciting aspect," he commented, his voice low, "figuring it all out."_

"_Well, yes. To some extent," she agreed._

_He chuckled, "Oh don't' worry. I know you after all. You want it to make more sense – to fit in some recognizable order in your head."_

_She let her mouth protrude. _

_He continued to smile soft and understandingly at her, "It's a simple New Year's kiss."_

_She shook her head, "That's not it. I don't mind kissing – I love the kissing," her mouth curled initiatively but then she felt nervous, "But it's so much more than that. I mean, what happened at the shipping yard, what you told me, I mean – that's so much more than simply kissing. It's a bit overwhelming for me. That's all."_

_She couldn't tell him love was too complicated for her. That the notion that he was in love with her and the knowledge that she only requited that position, was too overwhelming. _

_Andy gave another nod, his thumb tracing a warm pattern on her cheek now, "I understand. I really do. I'm nervous too."_

"_You understand?" she was both curious and apprehensive about what he understood; mostly because she barely understood herself nowadays. She had counted on her own sense of self but with Andy Flynn it was muddled and distorted. Sometimes she felt a bit dizzy at the prospect of it all – and a bit scared. _

_His eyes were locked on her. _

_She liked the warm color; it was soft and comforting when he looked at her. _

_He nodded again. When he answered, his voice sounded gravelly, "I do understand your hesitation and it doesn't seem strange to me. Okay? We've got nothing to rush for; we've got no frame to adhere to. It's just you and me. We will just decide where it all fits along the way, in our own pace."_

_She nodded, relieved. _

_The fizzing sound of a firework rocket going off resounded, subdued and yet shrill. The night sky erupted into a kaleidoscope of green and golden colors. Then others followed and everything paled in contrast. She felt even freer in the cover of the night and tje vivid display of fireworks; she felt elated beyond comprehension. _

_Feeling mischievous, she pulled him back, her fingers once again around the lapels of his jacket. _

_Kissing had after all become quite necessary in their relationship. _

_She wanted to kiss in the New Year with him. _

_She wanted him._

_For once, she would try to open her heart to the feeling of love._

…

_From the void of darkness, there was a soft touch to her shoulder._

_Then a not so soft push._

_Then the familiar voice of Andy Flynn woke her up._

"_Oh hey there. You finally awake. C'mon, let me help you up," he grumbled close to her ear in the vastness of a space she was entirely too unfamiliar with. His voice carried remnants of unmistaken anger, the characteristic gruff tone both customary and familiar. What the man was angry about remained a mystery to her, not unlike the mystery of waking up on a cold floor feeling battered. _

_The familiar timbre of his voice however gruff constituted a lifeline in the dark. When Sharon resolutely opened her eyes, the first thing they landed on was his outstretched hand, charitably offering assistance and yet the gesture displayed some sort of petulant offense._

_The floor was unrelenting and her knees ached when she moved; she briefly worried about the fainting that surely precipitated waking up on a cold floor. Other concerns took precedence; such as, why were they in a shipping yard container and why was Andy giving her such an agonized look. _

_Sharon did not take his offered hand. _

"_I'm fine," she declined in a curt tone, brushing off the lint on her thighs and legs as she rose somewhat shakily from the floor. The ground seemed to loom and tilt when she looked down, so she tried to keep a steady look on the solid form of Andy instead. _

"_Suit yourself," he bit back and then crossed his arms in a huff. _

_There was a natural strain in your patience when you had been working nonstop for 37 hours straight. That much she remembered but how the two of them ended up here, was frankly beyond her. _

"_That's 'suit yourself, Captain' to you, Lieutenant Flynn," Sharon retorted back, her own anger making an appearance. She imitated him and likewise crossed her arms, pushing down hard on the sudden urge to open her mouth and gag the contents of her breakfast up._

_Concussion, she wondered? _

_The remark threw him off for a second, his eyes widening. Then his mouth turned considerably downwards and his voice turned gruffer, restrained but on the brink of breaking free._

"_Yes, Captain."_

_Sharon stared back at him, holding his gaze evenly. _

"_Good," she said in a smooth tone, "Now, what's going on?" _

_She vaguely recalled the plan of doing a wide sweep of the shipping yard, the whole Major Crimes division and SID to man the vast span of the grounds. She did not recall wandering aimlessly into a container and fainting on the spot. _

_Andy shrugged, his arms more loosely crossed when he started talking. "That's all courtesy of Thomsen, the dirtbag who you conveniently thought was a charming fellow at first, remember? Well, the idiot took my phone and gun right after the idiot had his goonies shoot the place to pieces. Don't worry, I'm still in one piece." _

_Sharon ignored his manner and then quickly patted down the pocket in her LAPD windbreaker and the holster for her gun and he added, "The dirtbag took yours as well."_

_She contemplated their situation then, the container small and half-hidden in the darkness, the one lonely hanging bulb from the ceiling giving some countenance to the dark. At least she could see Andy's expression. She wondered why there was a hanging bulb in a shipping container. She wondered what was in the dozen crates._

"_I checked the container opening while you were knocked out, Captain," Andy rattled off in a formal voice, "and it's completely barred. Nothing in here but boxes full of gods knows what – rotten fruit and heroin, who knows."_

_Sharon hummed distractedly and then sat down on a crate, her hands going over the holes in her black slacks, blood peeping forth and darkening the cloth. It was just grated skin – from being dragged across gravel unconscious surely. Her scalp felt sore – as if someone had dragged her by the roots of her hair. _

"_You alright, Sharon?" Andy asked her when she remained unresponsive, his voice softening, "Are you hurt? You don't look that good." _

_Her eyes flickered up and caught his expression, "No, I'm fine. Just some abrasions, I think," she gingerly touched the back of her head, confused when her hand came back red. "Or not," she hastily added, musing over how she had managed to crack her head open._

_Andy hurriedly edged closer to her, inspecting her face closely before his eyes landed on the blood on her fingers. Anger transformed to concern and he wholly invaded her space, his large hands holding her head firmly while he looked at the back of her head. _

_Sharon would have protested but her eyes were drawn to his chest, the LAPD protective vest he had donned in honor of their searching the premises, the hole where one bullet had ricocheted its way in. The metal caught the light from the bulb when he moved to get a better look at the back of her head, his fingers parting her hair with a soft touch. _

"_Stubborn woman," he mumbled and yet it sounded affectionate. _

"_What?" Sharon asked even if she had heard him, strangely engrossed by the form of him so close to her. She let her hand follow the length of his covered chest, coming to rest where the bullet had burrowed in, the pad of her index finger passing around the edge of the hole. It was five centimeters under his left collarbone, above his heart surely but situated away from the midline of his sternum. Just in front of his left upper lung._

"_When did you hit your head?" he asked her and she thought it was a stupid question._

"_I didn't," she replied and she heard him sigh heavily._

"_Damn," he cursed but it contradicted the soft touch on her jaw where his thumb was drawing a comforting caress while he placed his other hand to the wound in the back of her head, pressing tentatively on her scalp. "You've got a nasty cut and it's still fresh but I think the blood is beginning to stop." _

_Sharon nodded._

_Andy continued, "You hair is all bathed in blood – how did not you notice it before now? How the hell did I not notice! Shit."_

"_Maybe I was hit with something then," she relented, thinking that she might even recall the force of the blow connecting with the back of her head if she concentrated on it._

"_You don't say," he replied somewhat impatiently. _

"_I feel fine," she said. When she looked up at him, he took a step back, his hand sliding down from her jaw and briefly touching her shoulder before he let go. _

_His jaw looked tensely clenched, "Of course you do." His voice was decidedly sarcastic and then he lifted two fingers up, "Now, look at me."_

_She looked at him, a bit dazed._

"_You tell me the moment you start to feel unwell? Woozy or anything, okay?"_

"_Okay," she replied and then after a brief pause, "I might feel a bit woozy now."_

_He gently took a hold of her shoulder, "Just don't faint on me again."_

_She smiled wanly. _

_The container was silent, eerily so, and when she started taking in the surroundings she felt the dull throbbing in the back of her head, loud and bold the more she focused on it. _

"_Damn," Andy cursed again next to her as he likewise let his eyes sweep across the room, "This is all my fault."_

_He looked angry again, hands fisted by his side._

_Sharon shakily sought out his hand, and after a small caress across his tense knuckles, he opened up and enveloped her fingers._

_The look he bestowed on her was pensive and searching._

"_We will be fine," she said to calm him down, "It's not as if no one knows where we are. They must have heard the gunshots at the very least. Or realized we haven't checked in yet."_

_His face fell._

"_What?" she prodded._

"_Nothing," he lied. She could tell by the way he avoided her eyes and then quickly let go of her hand. "We just need to find a way out. Heck, I don't really feel like putting my trust in getting found within a reasonable time frame; did you see the map? This shipping yard is full of nothing but thousands and thousands of containers; it could take a week to search them all."_

"_You said the door was barred," she reminded him._

_He smiled but it lacked warmth, "With a little effort maybe I can break down the door."_

_She lifted a dubious eyebrow, "Really?"_

_He shrugged noncommittally, "It's worth a try, right."_

_She nodded reluctantly but then she turned her head and looked at the side where the container normally opened. She gave him another look of disbelief, "You are just going to bust your shoulder."_

_Andy grimaced, "Well, it beats sitting around doing nothing."_

_He then jiggled the handle but to no avail and then he threw his shoulder into the frame. Nothing happened but for a flash of pain and indignation across his features. He threw his weight against the frame again, this time with an exaggerated grunt._

_Sharon knew him too well, so in anticipation she made herself comfortable on the crate and observed him patiently._

_The macho charade continued for a while, his grunts becoming heavier and more frustrated. _

"_Even you cannot defy physics," she commented, her eyes on the trail of sweat from his brow. _

_Andy looked back over his shoulder and gave her a derisive glare._

_He then fisted both hands and started ramming them on the door, his voice raised without warning. The echo of his loud 'help, help' rang in her head, throbbing along with pain. _

_She forcibly breathed in through her nose. _

_After a long period of incessant knocking, he finally sat down next to her on the crate, breathing hard and obviously admitting defeat._

"_Shit," he belabored when he had air to speak with._

"_What happened? – before this I mean? I don't remember much. We were closing in on the smuggling ring?" _

"_I haven't the foggiest," he said in resignation, "I mean, I have no clue what happened to you after I was knocked out. We were coming around the back of the shipping yard and Thomsen and his goonies surprised us. Somehow we lost radio contact with the others; I still don't get why. Sykes and Sanchez should have been just around the corner – they should have heard the guns going off."_

"_Someone must have tipped the smugglers off, surely. How could they have known we were going to search though the containers otherwise?"_

"_Yeah, it would appear we have a mole. My money's on deputy sheriff Moore."_

_Sharon sighed, "Dennis is a decorated officer."_

"_Oh, Dennis is it," his eyes narrowed and became hard, "The idiot is a bit too nosey for my liking. And decorated officers can be involved in drug trafficking, just so you know."_

_Sharon rolled her eyes and let her mouth protrude in semi annoyance._

_Andy grimaced back at her. His dislike for the deputy sheriff had been quite overt throughout the whole investigation so far; a dislike that Sharon had yet to figure out where stemmed from._

"_Rats aside," he scowled, "Thomsen and his goon squad surprised us, shooting left and right and by some luck of the draw, they actually managed to not kill us. I caught a bullet in the vest and the force of it knocked me to the ground and next thing I know, a big guy forces me in here while another dirtbag heaves you after him."_

"_Do you think this might be one of the containers they've been using?" she asked as she looked around with a scrutinizing look, half expecting the crates to reveal the illegal trade of narcotics. She ended on the lonely bulb in the ceiling, "Why have a light bulb in a container unless you mean to be in here, doing something you need a light for – like unpacking heroin?"_

_Andy shrugged, "Yeah, it's gotta be this one or the other dozen we actually have a warrant to look through. Lucky us, huh. We don't need a warrant for this one when the idiot forcibly threw us in here."_

"_Should we look in the crates?"_

"_Nah," he shook his head, "Better to wait – do you feel up for looking through stacks and stacks of bananas to find heroin cut with who knows what?"_

_She shook her head, "Not really."_

_There was a brief silence and then Andy spoke again, _

"_Damn, we are never going to live this down with Provenza and the others. Getting locked in a shipping container, for crying out loud."_

"_It's better than being executed," she commented wryly._

"_They could be coming back for that," he mused darkly, "Or maybe they just thought starvation was a fitting end-of-life choice for cops."_

_She gave him a scathing look. _

_In return he delivered an open-handed shrug, "Hey, I am being realistic here."_

_Sharon sighed, and then decided to tackle his issue head-on, "You have been awfully _realistic_ all week." She stressed the word with sarcasm, certain if she told him he had been an asshole all week, he would strike the ceiling._

_Andy crossed his arms again, "What's that supposed to mean?"_

_She purposefully pointed at his chest, "You seem upset about something. What, I don't know. It seems to be directed at me, somehow. Frankly you haven't acted like this since well before I transferred to Major Crimes and it confuses me."_

"_No, no," his eyebrows knitted together, "I am more than simply upset."_

_Sharon lifted an inquisitive eyebrow and then waited for him to continue._

_Andy only sighed somewhat perturbed and then nonchalantly commented, "That however, is a conversation for another time."_

_Her eyebrow lifted higher, "Why? I am not going anywhere – neither are you."_

"_Look," he threw his hands up again, "I am just looking out for you. I don't think having a disagreement right now is in your best interest. You banged your head pretty bad, okay. Who knows, maybe you have a concussion."_

"_Disagreement? So you are upset about something you think will result in a disagreement?"_

_His frown expanded, his expression going through a myriad of emotions till indignation was the clearest. Then he heatedly erupted, "You are dating."_

"_Dating?" Sharon repeated in an incredulous voice, not sure she had heard him correctly. "I am dating?"_

"_Yes."_

"_Well, that's news to me," she tried to laugh it off with a hand gesture and a shrugging smile._

"_Hell, it was news to me too," he retorted sarcastically, his brows now low and his expression similar to the one he had resolutely worn all week – on account of her apparently dating. The notion tickled her and yet she couldn't place the feeling. _

"_Dating not to mention flirting with that good-for-nothing deputy sheriff."_

"_I am not dating – anyone," she said, the comment sounding absurd to her. Who was she supposed to date? When in the world would she even have time to date, let alone want to date?_

"_And I am most certainly not flirting with Deputy Sheriff Moore or anyone else for that matter," she bit out, feeling defensive all of a sudden._

_Andy looked uncomfortable then and he quickly looked away, his eyes on the weakly illuminated container. When his gaze flickered back to her again, he sported an expression she likened to apologetic. "Look, I didn't mean to but I overheard your conversation with Rusty last Monday. The kid was waiting for you in his cubicle and I passed by. He said you were dating, plain as day."_

"_Oh," Sharon breathed out in relief. She thought back to that awkward conversation with Rusty last Monday. He had completely baffled her. Then she gave Andy a raised eyebrow, "Did you happen to eavesdrop on the whole conversation?"_

"_What? No, I am not some creep, you know. I have some decency." He rolled his eyes at her question._

_Sharon contained a smile, "Maybe you should have. Then you would have known that Rusty is under the impression that I am dating you."_

"_Me?"_

"_Yes," she gave a nervous, embarrassed laugh, "Rusty thought I was keeping it a secret. Apparently, well, according to him, he is sure that all the dinners we have are, erm, romantic in nature. He thought there was something fishy going on and that I was keeping it a secret."_

"_Oh."_

_Silence descended then, heavy in the semi darkness and oppressive. She could feel her cheeks flame up with embarrassment and her hands nervously rested on her thighs where she proceeded to brush off lint again. _

_She had felt awkward enough with Rusty throwing the accusation at her but having it out in the open with Andy was even worse. Why, she wasn't sure. _

_After a stretch of silence, she finally forced herself to turn her head._

_Andy was staring at her, intensely. _

"_I would like to date you," he said truthfully, his voice hoarse with emotion. She could read the nervous anticipation in his expression and voice as if it took a great deal to admit it, and yet relief at having said it was vivid as well. _

_His words threw her off balance. _

"_I mean," he quickly spoke again, one hand at the back of his neck, "you are not married now." He chuckled uncertainly, "You are not a married woman, right. I mean, you are single. Sort of."_

_She opened her mouth but then closed it again, not sure what she wanted to say._

_His eyes widened considerably the longer she stayed silent. _

"_You want to date me?" Sharon repeated when she finally found her voice, the tone tremulous._

_He nodded, shy and eager._

_She quickly looked away, a bit overcome by the frank expression. His words were genuine and to some extent a surprise. _

"_I thought we were headed that way," he spoke again, this time in a contemplative tone. When she looked at him, he was still staring at her. In the same intense, overpowering way that really was old news; it was nothing new and yet it felt so different now. _

"_Or am I making a complete fool of myself, misinterpreting everything?" he asked uncertainty in his tone and demeanor._

_She shook her head, feeling breathless, "No."_

_That one word imbued him with a sudden broad smile and his eyes centered exclusively on her face, "I have been waiting for the right time to tell you that, you know, that I think I am in love."_

_His smile looked caught between embarrassment and exhilaration, and then he clumsily added, " – with you, I mean. I am in love with you." He smiled big and wide. _

_The notion only blew her further away. _

"_I'm not exactly looking for a relationship," she found herself telling him and she caught on to the way the words deflated him. She reached out and took a hold of his wrist, her fingers soft around his sleeve before she slipped her thumb along the inside of his wrist. "I am kind of out of practice when it comes to the whole relationship, falling in love kind of deal."_

_He nodded, his mouth half-open, "Well, so am I."_

"_What I mean," she rambled on, knowing she needed to get her thoughts in order. It was hard, however, to get any semblance of order when his declaration still resounded in her head, "Is that I think I might have overlooked the significance of our dinners and everything."_

_He only looked further confused, "Okay, you've gotta spell it out for me."_

_She smiled and quickly looked down. "I think it snuck up on me – falling in love."_

_He turned his hand around and caught her fingers. The touch was exciting and she could not remember the last time simply holding hands with someone had this impact on her. _

"_It snuck up on me too, big time," he grumbled, his eyes warm when they connected with hers, "I just really enjoy your company – more than I've enjoyed anyone's company in a long time."_

_She smiled, "I enjoy spending time with you too." _

_He looked almost boyish, "So you wouldn't be remiss about dating? I mean, we can take it slow? It's all up to you. I won't mind waiting. I'll wait. For you, I mean."_

"_I wouldn't mind dating," her mouth curled upwards as she answered him._

_The smile that spread across his face was enlightening, his eyes even warmer than before. _

_Naturally, she became even more aware of herself. Her body and its proximity to him, the solid hand around hers. The way he leaned closer, anticipation tingling under her skin. The thing about first kisses, she thought as his mouth neared hers, was unprecedented excitement. _

_Sharon met him half-way, her hands curling around his forearms as she drew him to her, the muscles beneath strong and firm. His mouth landed squarely on hers, his lips soft and tentative at first. She kissed him back, excited by the touch, her mouth opening. He caught on and then kissed her back, all hesitation gone and in its stead there was something that felt like affection and passion, something she had sorely missed in decades. _

"_Captain? FLYNN?" someone yelled from outside the container, the voice subdued. "You in there?"_

"_Provenza to the rescue," Andy groused and then quickly slid back from her, his eyes lingering on her lips nevertheless. He raised his voice and answered back, "Yeah, yeah, we're in here." He ended it with a well-placed fist against the metal door._

_Sharon smiled, relieved._

"_It's a good thing," Andy smiled crookedly as he turned to look at her, "now we can finally get your head checked out."_

_She lifted an eyebrow, "Why? You think I wouldn't kiss you otherwise?"_

_He grinned, "Nah, I just think the less blood when we kiss, the better," he raised his bloodied hand up as evidence._

_She bit her lower lip; it would be good to get her scalp fixed, and even better to wash out the caked blood in her hair. _

_Provenza opened the door with a loud clang, Mike looming behind him with bolt cutters and an excited expression._

"_Thank heavens," Provenza grumbled, "we were just about to list you two idiots as missing."_

"_Nice to see you too, lieutenant," Sharon replied in an even voice._

* * *

><p>Tbc<p>

=)


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: thank you for all the reviews and follows ;) enjoy the second part

* * *

><p><strong>Part II <strong>

The next kiss, not even in the remote vicinity of short-lasted or friendly-seeming, happened mid walk in a fierce flow, the context of lips pressed sharply against her own, kissing hurried and impatient. Stumbling backwards in her high heels, Sharon held herself tightly to his sturdy frame, her arms around his middle and her hands holding on to his shoulder blades. The man took her breath away as he followed her into the middle of her living room, his stride quick. It was one of those continuous kisses that were one kiss on top of another, not leaving much space for air, keeping on and on, sloppy but heady.

Sharon felt utterly lost in it.

So lost in fact, that she left everything else up to him; she heard the click of her front door shut close when he kicked his foot backwards as they moved away from the threshold of her door; she followed his guiding hands to her living room, happy to allow him to steer, the insistent press of his larger palms against her waist an easy direction to follow.

She only focused on kissing him back with the same fervor.

In the course of their dating, however fascinating that had been, their interactions had been permeated by a tentative nature. Tentative because Sharon had been holding herself back to a certain degree; tentative because he had held back on account of her.

She wanted him, fully. She wanted him without all the hesitations and second-thoughts.

The pressure of the kiss changed and deepened, the urgency, unbridled, felt like an electric force spiraling through her, magnified and intoxicating.

He cupped her cheeks, his palms resting warmly against her skin as he turned her head to gain better access to her lips, his thumb drawing a circle almost absently.

The extra touch, that absent little caress on her cheek, emboldened her. She sought the pressure, her own mouth eager to draw out the connection. The tingle of kissing him heightened every inch of her body. It was amplified arousal coursing through her not unlike the blossoming of spring, enforcing and brisk, and she responded back in the same desperate fashion, eager to show him that she wanted him as much as he wanted her.

Desperation was at some level, the crux of her motivation. She felt desperate to have him, to touch him, to have him override her entire existence. She could feel it in his kiss and in his touch that the breathless sensation of desperation that clung to her likewise clung to him. To have that connection, to share that same feeling, was powerful. So powerful she forgot herself for a glorious moment, only pushing her body up against his, rising up on her toes as she quickened another kiss along.

She clung to him like glue, her fingers around the collar of his shirt, her chest pressed unashamedly against his.

She had no care in the world but for his lips.

Between heavy, drugging kisses he gazed affectionately at her, his eyes holding her in a strange form of stasis. His thumb gently trailed another small circle on her cheek, his mouth moved slightly apart while his eyes centered exclusively on her face, softening.

In those small moments, between desperate kisses, she felt exuberantly surreal. She felt unguarded and raw, see-through and nervous, all compiled in one curious emotion.

In those small moments, Andy looked on the cusp of saying something heartfelt and decapitating, his eyes searching and warm. He must have read the nervous expression on her face because instead of talking, he only leaned his head down and once again captured her mouth in a tingling kiss, his fingers pressing softly on her jaw.

Then it was another round of rushed kissing, sharing ragged breaths between.

This time it started slow like a simmer and then blazed into a fire. A gentle kiss to the edge of her mouth and then a soft kiss closer to the middle of her lips. Then a slightly more provocative kiss to her bottom lip that quickly swallowed her whole lip up in a capture. Then a kiss that lasted longer and covered more, his lips warm and seeking. The a kiss where his tongue swept out and she answered back, her hands grasping tightly around his middle as she stumbled backwards, unsure of her balance but trusting his stance.

Andy held on to her with a steady hand on her waist, his lips certain and following hers when she tethered.

She easily and hurriedly tugged his shirt from his pants, taking a hold of the garment in her fisted hands, able to dispense her tension into the grip, happy to have something inanimate to hold onto.

He was adamant on pushing her backwards till the firm touch of the backrest of her sofa rested against her spine, his hands cradling her head possessively and his mouth insistent on hers. He stole her breath and yet imbued her with breath, the tingle of his lips against hers remarkably astounding.

She might have moaned more than once in the midst of it all.

Jackson used to kiss her like this.

In the early days.

Whereas this notion might have soured her demeanor years back, now it only reinforced her arousal, her desire. The inflection in Andy's kisses was genuine to her and even though they reminded her of something else that had once been genuine, they did not throw her off. If anything, it comforted her.

Andy had told her, in many ways small as well as big, how much he cared about her and yet, when you were as emotionally repressed as she was – she could admit to this now – then it was certainly delightful to get it reiterated upon every kiss of his. To understand the echo of his touch and the underlying look behind his gaze; to know he genuinely wanted her to feel loved. To know that he wanted to be better for her; to know he acted.

In that aspect, his definition of love differed gravely from Jackson's.

They both slowed down and then it ended with a warm kiss, their lips slow to let go. They both waited with bated breaths as they leaned against each other. The backrest of her sofa was solid against her back and his form was solid in front, his hands reverently caressing the underside of her jaw again. The quiet touch was humbling in the midst of fire.

The break was another aspect that took her breath away.

Her apartment was silent, half cast in shadows.

His eyes raked over her, heavily concerned with her heaving chest and what she figured was the outline of her cleavage.

Sharon smiled.

When he looked up and caught her expression, Andy smiled back, "I could get lost in kissing you."

The comment made her blush.

He leaned in, his mouth against her ear, "You don't know how much I've been looking forward to this." His voice was low and throaty, and it travelled through her in a spike of electricity, peaking in her lower abdomen.

"I want you real bad," he growled in a whisper, his breath tingling her ear.

Sharon could only nod in a breathless response and then she tightened her hold on his shirt and pulled him closer, opening her legs to invite him further in.

His thigh resolutely went between her legs, thick and hard as he pushed her legs further apart, her skirt sliding higher up and straining against the stretch.

She gripped harder around his shirt, her fingers tense and shaking. She arched backwards over the armrest, drawing him into another searing, desperate kiss.

She nearly whimpered when one of his hands roughly pushed her skirt even higher up, the material no longer restraining. It bunched around her waist, the edge precariously close to bottom of her ass. His clothed thigh slid fully between her thighs, against the lining of her underwear, the pressure of it bolting through her.

One of her heels left the floor and her legs spread even further apart, his thigh holding her up as much as the backrest under her back.

Curling one hand around the back of his neck, she kissed him harder, more impatiently. In response he growled into her mouth, his thigh bumping up against her clothed center and she nearly fainted from warmth. She had not been kissed like this in far too long; it had the taste of infinity, keeping on and on, their mouths firmly interlocked.

His hands roamed down the sides of her waist, sure, adamant touches that she liked the rough feel of. Then he slipped around and grasped her ass, his fingers tracing the outline of her muscles.

She bent one leg around his middle, and pushed her center firmly against his clothed thigh. Her skirt was entirely misplaced now, only her underwear in the way.

She felt reckless.

She felt horny.

Oh damn.

The notion seemed funny to her.

When they broke apart to breathe in air again, she couldn't contain her mirth and the way it mixed with a bout of self-consciousness. She hurriedly buried her face in the crook of his neck, keeping a tight hold of his shirt and middle, pressing herself against him to both hide and calm down.

Her breath was labored and she was flushed to the core.

How the hell was she supposed to go through more of this without completely melting into a puddle? They were barely getting started – kissing and grinding against his thigh was not even close to what she had in mind – and yet she was already so bothered and hot it felt like she couldn't possibly attain anything higher. She felt so coiled in on herself that the next probably thing could only be to uncoil.

His hands caressed the lower point of her back, keeping her firmly in place and balanced. His thumbs moved carefully up and down, warm and comforting on her spine.

"You alright?" he asked in a mumble close to her ear, her hair subduing the sound.

She nodded, still hiding her face against him, encapsulated in warmth and his scent.

"Just getting my breath," she told him, her voice sounding strangely hoarse.

She could feel the firm outline of his erection and it was nerve-racking.

It was settled against her lower abdomen and whenever the top of his thigh moved against her underwear, she could feel it against her, the combination of that and the feel of arousal, slick and strong, rapidly coalescing and blazing around her center, it was enough to stupefy her.

She shuddered, biting down on her bottom lip, intensely focused on the feeling of simply being here, enfolded in his arms and held up. The force and warmth of her own desire was new to her in many ways, or maybe she simply had to get reacquainted with it.

She felt his nose part her hair away and then slightly wet lips landed on her neck, kissing a trail to the back of her ear.

"Let's make some coffee, huh," he offered, the voice heavy against the shell of her ear.

She somehow liked the sound of a small break.

Sharon leaned back from him, her spine on the point of protesting and she smiled shyly as she observed him.

Andy grinned back, "You know, real coffee. I would love that. Especially seeing someone, in a wicked turn of events, deterred me from ordering a cappuccino at the restaurant."

Bless the man.

She needed a bit of humor now.

Sharon shook her head, amused and giddy, "I did not deter you from anything. I simply explained to you, the – erm," she briefly looked away to stop herself from laughing. When she continued, her voice trembled with quiet laughter, "the facts of the night."

"Is that so," he retorted dryly, one eyebrow raised and his head tilted.

"Mmhmm," she hummed, her face once again heating up at his look.

There was nothing to misconstrue from that look of encompassing love.

Andy took a step back, his hand under her arm to help her. He brought her with him, her foot landing back on the floor again, her balance unsteady for a second before he righted her with one hand to her waist and the other enfolding around her own hand, their fingers intertwining.

Sharon quickly righted her skirt, pushing it hastily down, her cheeks red when she looked up and caught him looking. She used his shoulder for support and then quickly toed out of her heels, instantly a head shorter.

Before she slipped into the kitchen to brew coffee he pulled her back, her hand in his, and then he deposited the softest kiss to her lips, lingering before he let go. It was once again short and sweet, and still as breathtaking as the others.

Sharon turned the lights on as she went into to her kitchen even if she felt more certain of herself in the half dark.

Andy followed her into the kitchen and she kept looking bashfully over her shoulder only to find him studying her with eyes burning, the gaze lingering exclusively on her behind when he wasn't looking at her eyes. The notion that he was staring at her ass only elated her.

If she had been under the delusion that making coffee would constitute a break, then she was swiftly enlightened. Andy followed her with his eyes and that gesture lightened her on fire. Then the man surprised her and enveloped her in an embrace from behind, his chin on her shoulder as he watched her grind the coffee beans. His arms were warm against her ribcage and she trembled when she felt his hands move down over her stomach and then even more so when he trailed his fingers under the hem of her skirt, resting them on her hip bones. His thumbs went farther, touching the bare skin of her lower abdomen, close to the band of her underwear. His mouth moved to the side of her neck, a heavy kiss on the brink of becoming a mark if the pain and force of it was a clue.

The bite tingled all the way to her core.

When was the last time someone had kissed her that hard? Sucked her skin in, teeth sharp – and then soothingly puffed air and soft lips on the spot?

She had to stop several times and restart the grinding, too preoccupied by the feeling of his long body behind her, the noticeable bulge against her backside and his lips on her neck distracting to say the least.

"Now, who's the one preventing coffee?" she mused out aloud, her voice soft and warm. She sent a smile over her shoulder as she quickly poured water into the coffee machine.

"You are distracting," he simply retorted, the comment followed by his palm journeying the curve of her spine.

Sharon laughed and then shook her head, further amused, "No. You are distracting me."

"On purpose," Andy added with a cheeky smile.

Sharon smiled coyly, "Well, do you want coffee or not?"

He shrugged casually too occupied by flattening the cloth of her skirt, his palm lingering on her ass.

All the touching was slowly and surely driving her insane.

By the time they both had a steaming cup of coffee between their palms, she was on fire. Her skin felt aflame from every caress and touch, tingling and blazing, impatiently yearning for his touch again.

Then it was the blaze of his gaze that burned through her, over the rim of his coffee cup. He stood against her kitchen counter, leaning on it and openly staring at her with a smirk curling dangerously on his lips.

Her hands shook when she lifted the cup to her own lips. The coffee was bitter and welcome and she closed her eyes trying to find some semblance of control. It was hard – not that she begrudged it. It was just – novel, this feeling of spinning out of control and letting go of herself.

It was with the savor of coffee he kissed her again and she hung onto his lips and the taste, feeling bolstered by the adrenaline of caffeine and the electricity that ran through her blood.

Bolstered enough to let her hands run confidently down the curve of his chest and abdomen, slipping past his belt and then, softly running the length of her index finger down his erection. She could feel him through the cloth of his pants, the outline half gorged, filling as she ran her finger back up, pressing.

He groaned against her lips, the tone prickling.

She touched him again, turning her hand around and palming him fully.

Just the notion of that part of his anatomy and it was not unlike slipping into a lake of fire.

She led him into her bedroom, her eyes on his, careful to catalogue the expression.

…

"_If I hear one more stupid remark about Jonny goddamn Worth and his ability to look like a Ken doll at the crack of dawn, I might just throw up on your pristine floor," Andy told her in a hushed voice, his eyes lingering on her as he spoke._

_The man stood in her kitchen, leaning casually against the kitchen counter with his sleeves rolled up and his tie loosened. He was watching Sharon pour out the remaining, now cold and undrinkable tea into the sink, his eyes dark with an emotion she had trouble labeling._

_Sharon looked over her shoulder and for a brief moment – a very brief and ridiculous moment –she was absolutely certain he had been looking at her ass. The notion was quickly and forcibly shoved away. It was ludicrous; she was certain of that._

"_Be my guest," she smiled at him, "Just know you'll be doing the cleaning up as well."_

_Andy grunted, "Oh please. Everyone and their grandmother have been making gooey eyes at the idiot. I even thought we were going to lose Hobbs for a moment. She seemed especially dreamy-eyed about it all." _

_Sharon shook her head, amused at his expense. _

"_Oh, I'm detecting some jealousy," she gave him a direct look, her mouth twitching with a smile, "Are you jealous, lieutenant Flynn?"_

"_Naturally, Captain," he easily replied with a lopsided smile and enough sarcasm to make her smile widen._

_Sharon shook her head again and then ran the warm tap, rinsing the teapot under the spray of water. _

"_Just admit it, even you think Jonny Worth is good-looking," she teased, mindful to watch his expression out of the corner of her eye._

_She saw him roll his eyes._

"_Sure, sure. Good-looking in that special sleazebag kinda way."_

_Sharon laughed again. _

_Andy took another step closer, leaning on the counter with an elbow, his proximity apparently not the least bit strange to him; he looked to be enjoying himself immensely. _

_There was a mischievous glint in his eyes. She was certain it was the same look that told everyone he was up to no good – in that charming fashion that always and surely slipped under her armor. _

"_So, you've got a crush on him too? – like Hobbs?"_

_She gave him a mysterious smile and a casual shrug, happy he looked thrown back by her glib demeanor. _

_He lifted an eyebrow and pursed his mouth, clearly waiting for some clarification._

"_Oh, no, no crush. Jonny Worth is most assuredly not my type," she mused. _

"_Who's your type then," he asked directly, his smile characteristically bold. Underneath it she depicted his curiosity. _

_She walked into that one on her own account. _

_Sharon quickly turned the tap off and then let the teapot sit in the sink. Turning around she crossed her arms and then leaned back in lieu of him, mindful of the small gathering in her living room den still celebrating Rusty's graduation. No one seemed to be paying her kitchen any attention, however._

"_Why do you ask?" she playfully turned back to Andy, a raised eyebrow to counter. _

_Andy shrugged with a smug smile, "Oh, you know. Simple curiosity. For all I know, you like ladies."_

_She shook her head, ignoring his dig at her, "Andy – I don't have a type."_

_He raised a dubious eyebrow, "Oh c'mon. Everyone has a type."_

_She was tempted to tell him that her type turned out to be the heartbreaking-stomp-on-the-pieces-kind-of-type but then really, she did not feel like ruining the light mood. She felt happy and carefree tonight; there was no need to bring up the past to darken the mood._

"_Why don't you tell me your type first then," she countered with a sly smile. She drew her finger along the counter top, her eyes briefly on his eyes and then she unconsciously lowered her gaze to his chest – and then even more briefly her gaze landed on his groin, not sure why that area suddenly caught her attention out of the blue. It surprised her and she quickly looked away from that part of his anatomy, her cheeks warming. _

"_Brunette," he told her, his lips curled around a self-assured smile. _

"_Brunette," she repeated, feeling stupidly self-conscious._

"_Bossy," he added, the smile now a fully-fledged smirk._

_Sharon raised one eyebrow high and tried not to fidget on the spot. The man was just teasing her – in that way friends teased each other, surely._

"_Any other adjective starting with b you would like to add to the list, hmm?"_

"_Oh yeah," he nodded eagerly, his eyes smiling. "Beautiful. Brave," he paused and she knew he was about to say something inappropriate, his mouth twitching. _

"_Breasts-y," he grinned wide, obviously proud of himself, "Bountiful, if you get the gist." _

"_Oh I _get _the gist," she puffed, feigning a grimace._

_He chuckled, the sound delightfully happy to her ears, "Yeah, yeah. I could go on." _

_She pursed her lips mockingly._

_He grinned and then listed off, "Brilliant, buoyant. Bitchy, at times."_

_Once again, he made her laugh, "That's not a type, Andy."_

_His eyes crinkled, "Hmm, maybe not. But don't mind that. Now, tell me yours."_

_Sharon shook her head. _

_Andy pouted, his dark eyes glinting with humor, "Pretty please."_

_She shook her head once again, amused and intrigued by this turn in their conversation. "You really don't need to concern yourself with my love life. I am more than certain that it does not fall within your job description."_

"_Ah, ah," he shook a playful finger at her, "it sure as hell falls within the purview of a friend."_

"_Some friend you are," she joked and crossed her arms, giving him a pretend hard glare, "threatening to puke on my floor, standing in my way," she pointed at him invading her kitchen, obstructing her path, "and then interrogating me."_

"_What are friends for," he chuckled good-heartedly with an open-handed shrug. _

_For a short moment, intense and powerful, she felt unable to respond. Her eyes were simply stuck on him, irrevocably. She felt self-conscious and yet, she did not mind staring at him nor did she mind the fact that he was staring back at her in the same manner. _

"_So," he grinned after a prolonged pause that teetered close to the brink of embarrassment, "do you by any chance have a tooth pick I can borrow?"_

_Sharon smirked and then pointed at the top drawer to his left, "Go ahead but just take it. I don't want it back. You can keep it."_

"_Mighty generous of you," he grimaced at her and then he pulled the drawer out and rummaged around with the contents till he found a box of tooth picks. _

_Sharon was still transfixed. _

_Her eyes were now focused on his broad back. Then she found her eyes deviating downwards, to his spine and the back of his thighs._

_She felt her body heat up and she quickly forced herself to look away, knowing that if she kept staring she would end up completely red-faced and he would surely know the direction of her gaze. _

"_You know," Andy said when he turned back to look at her, one tooth pick now cradled between his lips and his eyes once again on her with an impish glow, "I think I know your type after all."_

_She pursed her mouth, "Oh really?"_

"_Yeah. It's self-explanatory, really. What does every hall monitor need, huh?"_

_She tried to contain her giggle. _

"_What then, pray tell?" she managed to get out between her lips without laughing._

_He took the tooth pick out and pointed it at her, "Someone to tell them to have a good time, you know. Let go of the rules – stay out after dark, that sorta thing."_

"_Oh, so you think I need a rulebreaker, is that it?"_

"_Yeah," he grinned, "Incidentally, I know a good rulebreaker. Easy on the eyes, charming to boot."_

_She laughed with a hand holding on to her stomach. "Oh, just stop. You are going to make me pee my pants."_

_He chuckled, "Captain Raydor peeing her pants! Damn, that's one for the water cooler. Narcotics will have a field day, surely." _

"_Shush," she waved her hand dismissively at him, trying her best to not snort. _

_She did not succeed by the look on his face; he looked mightily entertained. _

"_Sharon," Rusty prodded with a smiled as he entered the kitchen, clearly not seeing Andy at first. Her boy stopped short when he noticed Andy however, and then Rusty looked between them with a suspicious glance, "what are you two laughing about?"_

_Andy was the first one to compose himself. He grinned at Rusty and then smoothly replied, "Oh, just, you know, the usual. Sharon here is about to pee her pants. Nothing special, you see."_

"_Don't listen to him, honey," Sharon told Rusty with another badly concealed smile, her hand out and briefly landing on the boy's shoulder. _

_Rusty shook his head, obviously confused but a smile broke through and then he sneakily retorted, "Oh don't worry, Sharon. I won't – because Lieutenant Flynn is not making a lot of sense."_

"_He usually isn't," she said with a furtive glance at Andy, her hand squeezing Rusty's shoulder._

"_Oh, sure, gang up on me," Andy threw his hands up in the air. _

_Rusty gave Sharon a secretive look and then nervously commented, "That's what families do, you know. Gang up on other people."_

_Sharon laughed and then gave her boy a quick one-shoulder embrace, happy he was enjoying himself after all. Rusty surprisingly hugged her back, his cheeks blushing rosy when he glanced at Andy out of the corner of his eyes, obviously not comfortable enough to hug her in front of others yet. Still he hugged her. It warmed her heart further. _

_Incidentally, later on when saying farewell to the remaining guests, Andy Flynn surprised her yet again. _

_The man hugged her goodbye._

_It was short and friendly and just on the tipping scale of being classified as lingering. His scent embraced her, just as heavily as his arms, the contact novel and warming. It brought forth a full scale tingling in her abdomen, a fluttering and flittering she likened to butterflies taking off, wings flapping. Her cheeks warmed as well and when he let go, she couldn't contain a broad smile from flexing her lips. _

_She found herself rather enamored with the idea of hugging him._

_With the idea that she knew how his body felt up close to her own. _

…

_Some days silence was heavy and deafening, the bright glare of the sun offending though the window pane in her office, the air stymied. Some days when working on after action reports, in the quiet of the building after hours, she found herself in a contemplative mood. _

_This was one of those days._

_The view into the squad room from her office gained more of her attention than the paperwork on her desk. She swiveled her chair to the side, her eyes briefly on the broad expanse of Andy Flynn's back before she determinedly forced herself to look away._

_In F.I.D they had resolved the hard cases with going out, the small group of detectives in internal affairs naturally excluded from the rest of the force. They had had their own place; a cozy café that had offered its fair share of breakfast and brunches; the seventy-two hour cycle she had been under back then, had always somehow ended at the crack of dawn and she enjoyed those lazy breakfasts with a couple of sergeants. _

_Sharon was stuck doing the end-of-case paperwork; heavier on account of the pending court case. It was fast approaching dinner time and her hunger made its presence known with a rumble or two. _

_Being the boss meant working after everyone had gone home. It was hard to out delegate paperwork, not that she particularly wanted to. Oh, her team was exceptional in their field of work; paperwork and the finer points of pushing said paperwork was not their forte. Mike Tao had gone home, Buzz as well. Provenza was nowhere to be found – Julio likely with the older man, she figured. Amy surely out to find Lieutenant Cooper. _

_There was just the lonely figure of Andy Flynn out in the squad room, his back to her as he fiddled morosely with something on his computer. Had it been any other case, she would have told him to go home like the others. Told him to get out of the building before it sucked them in again. Something was holding her back; instead she was observing him and pretending to work. _

_There was not much to gain from the back of his head. No expression to gauge his mood from, just the slight view of a grimace when she happened to catch him in profile. _

_She wanted to do something for him, support him like he unequivocally supported her. The notion that she wanted to cheer him up was almost a desperate need. She decided not to reflect too much upon why she felt like this. _

_Instead, after absolving that she would get nothing more done, she closed her office off and then walked out into the squad room. She strode to his desk, mindful of the staccato of heels that more than effortlessly announced her approach. _

_She lingered by his desk, her smile cordial and inviting. _

_He looked at her briefly, a strained smile before he gazed back at the computer again. _

"_Andy," she said her voice soft. _

_She decided to sit down instead of looming over him. Delicately moving a file folder aside she sat down on the edge of his desk, mindful of her skirt, her legs crossed. _

_He had folded his jacket over the back of his chair and his shirt sleeves were rolled up. _

_Under different circumstances he would have looked at ease. _

"_Hm?" he hummed, engaged in a search on his browser._

"_Let's go out, get something to eat. My treat," Sharon offered in a low voice even going as far as half way reaching out to touch his arm before she remembered her position and quickly withdrew her hand. The shoulder bump had to be enough touching for the day. _

_Andy looked at her fully, his hands leaving the keyboard. _

"_Your turn to what?" he asked, distracted._

_It never got any easier dealing with the murder of children or adolescents, or any other human being for that matter, the age was inconsequential. It was still so new to her, even going on three years, and her armor wasn't as hard and tough as his. _

_Usually she counted on him to be there to rely on; to be a sounding board and a friend when she needed him. He had worked homicide just as long as she had worked internal affairs, and she valued his experience in the field. Yet somehow though, this case struck extra hard. _

_Sharon had yet to figure out why. Not that his behavior was to be called upon nor was there anything specific about it that she could put her finger upon. No, she was simply curious. Maybe there was something he wanted to talk about – to get off his chest. Maybe Alice reminded him of his own daughter. _

"_My turn to pay for dinner," she smiled invitingly and this time she forgot herself, her hand out on instinct. Her fingers landed just short of his elbow and she squeezed, happy to see his brown eyes focus on her. She even detected a small glint of warmth in them. _

"_Oh, like that," he smiled back, the warmth of it genuine, "I could go for some food, yeah. Starving to tell you the truth. Though, I'm pretty sure it's my turn to pay."_

_Sharon shook her head amused, "No, no. You end up saying that every single time."_

"_Because it is my turn," he emphasized with a grin and then crossed his arms, "You paid for the fancy squid last time, remember? At that fancy Oceanside open-kitchen."_

_She pursed her lips, just barely containing the smile._

_He only smiled boyishly in return. _

_Sharon conceded, "Okay, so it's your turn." _

_Her answer only elicited an even more devious smile, "So; you are inviting yourself to dinner, is that it?" _

_She crossed her arms, secretly happy he was in a good enough of a mood to joke with her, "If you won't let me pay, then yes."_

"_You have a real knack for inviting yourself along to things, don't you?" he teased her. _

_She only shook her head, amused at how easy it was to cheer him up. _

"_So, whose turn is it to pick?"_

"_You go ahead, lieutenant Flynn," she smiled, "I feel safe enough to assume you are going to pick something that will offer more variation that the usual fast food place Rusty goes for."_

_Andy rolled his eyes, the gesture not in the least condescending when his smile stayed firmly on, "You know me, vegetarian all the way."_

_She raised an eyebrow, "I have seen you stuff bacon in your mouth on numerous occasions." _

_He shrugged, "To humor Provenza, you know, otherwise I would never hear the end of it."_

_She smiled, "Just admit it; you love bacon."_

_He shrugged again, this time with a smile._

"_I know just the place," Andy told her, "Quiet, vegetarian and non-vegetarian for you. Usually it's not too busy. They even have burgers, if you are bringing the kid."_

_Sharon smiled, "Rusty will appreciate the sentiment another time. He's got chess practice today."_

_Andy nodded, "So," he stood up, half yawning before he covered his mouth with a hand, "Let's beat this joint." He turned his computer off and gathered files and folders and unceremoniously pushed the entire bunch into his top drawer. _

_Sharon shook her head at his unusual display of disorder; next to Provenza's desk, Andy's was the second in line for being particularly ordered._

_He saw her raised eyebrow and grinned, "I'm coming back."_

_Her eyebrow only rose higher, "I should order you to go home after dinner but knowing you, you would probably end up here no matter what I tell you."_

"_There's no game tonight – what's a guy to do?"_

_Sharon shook her head, and then with a hand gesture toward the elevators, she said, "You lead the way, lieutenant." _

_She watched him humor her with a bow, and then he quickly put his jacket back on and righted his tie, making a grimace at her that looked comical under the circumstances. _

_She was surprised when he leaned close to her, his breath warm and his voice quiet, "Thank you, Sharon."_

_She lifted an inquisitive eyebrow. _

"_I mean for being there when we said our goodbyes to Alice. Helping with arranging it and everything. It means a lot to me," he paused and his somber expression transformed into mischief, "Also, you know, thank you for getting me out of this dump as well, inviting yourself to dinner on my account."_

_She smiled softly, "You're welcome."_

_He offered his arm charitably and with a friendly smile. _

_She walked next to him, her arm looped through his as if it was a natural occurrence. It was more of a strange, rare event; likely to happen again now that it had happened once. She shook her head at herself. _

_Oh they touched on occasion and she found their friendship deviating towards something more complex, something that was hard to pinpoint exactly but still, she catalogued the escalating touching that were happening nowadays. It befuddled her in some ways. _

"_I'm sorry I lost my temper earlier," he told her as they walked, the words sounding honest. She looked at him and found his eyes intensely on hers._

"_You did?" she wondered, not sure what he meant. To her, he rarely lost his temper anymore._

"_In electronics. I went a bit haywire on Hobbs. She didn't tell you?"_

"_Oh, that," she shook her head and then gave him a comforting smile, "I wouldn't say you lost it. You were upset about the offer of second degree murder. Understandable."_

"_I snapped Hobbs' head off," he mused, his eyes contemplative, "and ran out in a huff like a five-year-old."_

"_Andy," Sharon smiled soothingly, "It's nothing."_

_He gave her a funny look and then grumbled, ""Funny, that's a platitude you never once told me when I happened to run into you in F.I.D. Back then, it was always a catastrophe when I lost my temper."_

_Sharon giggled, "Oh," she had to stop herself from calling him honey. She quickly pushed that endearment far away – far, far away._

_She shook her head at him and his obvious uncertainty. "That's because back then you lost your temper catastrophically, I might add. Today was nothing. You have mellowed out over the years."_

"_I have mellowed out?" he repeated, voice full of disbelief. His eyes smiled though and then he joked, "Are you saying I've gone soft?"_

_She squeezed his wrist, her shoulder unintentionally bumping gently against his again, "Yes."_

_He pretended to look insulted about it, "I'll give you soft, alright."_

_Sharon only snorted in response, quickly looking away to cover her expression. _

_This time Andy bumped his shoulder against hers, "Hey – you are making me feel insecure about myself here."_

_She laughed outright at that and in between soft giggles, she stuttered, "Oh, that's not what I meant." She nearly hid her face in his shoulder but instead she cleared her throat, "You've changed in the last decade, that's what I'm saying. You had quite the temper ten years ago; thankfully I was not present for the majority of those temper fits. Though we did use the stories for entertainment in our break room in Internal Affairs. "_

_Andy grinned at her, his eyes twinkling, "So, you gossiped about me, huh."_

_She rolled her eyes, "Occasionally. The hothead from Robbery/Homicide, hmm, I might have talked about you from time to time."_

"_Yeah, I was a bit of a tough nut back then. Now, I'm apparently all soft and gooey."_

_Sharon smiled, "Only when it's warranted." _

_They stopped short in front of the elevators and Sharon watched Andy push the button. The position felt awkward now that they were not walking. There was something about standing arm in arm that felt too intimate – and too out in the open at work._

_She quickly excused herself and then rested both of her hands in the pockets of her blazer, thankful that it meant there was some space between them. Air to breathe in and space to avoid her cheeks warming up in color. _

_Sharon looked at the panels, aware that he was now studying her. _

_There was the soft hum of the elevator moving and a second after the doors opened. _

_After another second of silence in the elevator box as they moved down to the garage, she tentatively asked him, "So, you are alright? There's nothing going on?"_

"_Going on?" he knitted his brows in confusion._

_Sharon shrugged, "Oh, just. How's your blood pressure?"_

_He shrugged, "Fine, fine. The pills take care of that."_

_She nodded, and then prodded further holding her breath, "And Nicole and the boys?"_

_His expression immediately turned warmer and his mouth curled naturally upwards, "They are great. I talked to Nicole yesterday – a really great talk, you know. Not the awkward phone call we usually have, just a normal chat."_

_Sharon smiled, "Oh, I'm happy to hear that."_

"_Well, it's all because of you."_

"_How's so?"_

"_I don't know – I just think my daughter admires you, and so by extension, I must not be that bad."_

_Sharon grabbed his arm again as the doors opened and they walked into the garage, "You aren't bad at all, Andy." _

_He shrugged. "Redemption takes time."_

_She nodded, slowly, "It does."_

_She squeezed his wrist again, just because it lifted the corners of his mouth and his eyes warmed. She liked it when they were warm. _

"_How do you feel about vegetables shakes?" he asked her, "like beetroot and carrot and other god-awful healthy stuff." _

"_I like god-awful healthy stuff," she said, her voice low and her eyes on him with a smile._

…

Tbc


	3. Chapter 3

**Part III **

The single lamp on her nightstand was enough light to throw her bedroom into a low-stated orange hue, shadows flickering and hiding in the corners. She locked her bedroom door, her hand hovering nervously on the handle a second longer than necessary. The click when she turned the lock resounded louder than she thought possible, echoing in the pit of her abdomen with a spike.

She leveled her gaze on him, avidly following his approach. The dark color of his eyes rested single-mindedly on her, exalted features sharpening when he smiled. The look transferred to heat the moment it touched her skin, enforced when he cupped her cheek, that first contact hot on her skin.

Andy undressed her first.

The motions were slow and measured, intentionally lingering and softly tracing invisible patterns that had everything to do with undressing her as slowly as possible.

Sharon watched him closely, her breath trapped in her throat like a big wad of cotton too dry to move up or down. She burned and burned, the fusion of a sun beneath her skin, anticipation beginning to run wild within her. There was even a split second where she felt pathetic, the feeling however quickly pushed aside when he touched her again. His fingers nimbly unbuttoned the two buttons of her blazer while he gazed back at her, the look intense.

She had to look away to compose herself. Instead she made do with staring at the perfected knot of his tie and the way the silk lay flat against his chest, immaculate in color and pattern. She stared at his chin, the smallest appearance of stubble noticeable this close to him. She rested her eyes on his throat and the movement when he swallowed. She felt the low pressurized air that left his mouth, warm as it blew past her.

His fingers bypassed her neck with a caress when he helped her out of the blazer, the garment landing in a pool on her floor.

The undressing felt like a slow dance.

It was mesmerizing watching him slowly work his way through her clothing. He prolonged the time it took to open her shirt, undoing the buttons with care so that between every button, he sneaked in a kiss to her lips. The kiss preceded a detour of his fingers, his hands sweeping down the material of silk along her sides, edging just past the curve of her breasts but never quite touching.

Upon every travel close to her breasts, she held her breath, her mouth falling more and more apart.

The man obviously knew what he was doing.

Deliberately driving her insane, that was.

She would fault him only every kiss he bestowed to her lips left her feeling higher and higher, her knees weakening and her underwear getting wetter.

Drunk with desire, she thought with a giddy smile. Her skin felt sensitized to his touch, her lips tingling in poisonous anticipation for the next kiss, the next touch. The air that she swallowed found its way out raggedly, her breathing likewise affected.

Another button was let free, the top of her shirt gaping wide. His hand trailed down following the slope of one breast, his eyes on the revealed cleavage. She tried to breathe without restraint but then his hand swept under her shirt and went under the cover of her bra, just on the point of covering her nipple.

She closed her eyes and waited.

His tweaked her nipple between his thumb and index finger, his eyes dark in color when she opened her eyes. She opened her mouth only for her moan to be captured in another kiss, the air she would have expelled swallowed up whole by him, his lips demanding and hard, those fingers tightening around her nipple.

She moaned again.

He let her breast go and then, as if nothing had happened, slowly started undoing another button while he still moved his mouth leisurely against hers.

The kiss ended and then he swept her hair over her shoulder, his hand around her neck with a touch that was not exactly soft. A decisive touch she thought, his thumb going down the length of her throat.

He leaned in and in a rough voice against her ear, the hand still on her throat, he whispered, "If there's something specific you want, you'll tell me, hmm?"

She nodded, that breathless feeling rearing its head once again.

He smiled, the white of his teeth catching her attention.

The soft pad of his thumb touched the underside of her jaw and he lifted her chin up, her eyes now in line with his.

She smiled back, encouraging his touch with a hum.

He followed the path of her collarbone to the right with two fingers and then he dipped down and caught her mouth with his.

The kiss was deep and full.

The fulfilling aspect of kissing had either escaped her memory or she was experiencing something novel, something different. His lips embraced her fully, anesthetized her to the outside world and all she could do was hold her attention on kissing him back with the same zeal.

Andy kissed her and kissed her, lathering her with one stunning kiss after another. The motions were languid and yet heartfelt, his hands landing on her waist and then he guided her steps backwards towards her bed. She envied his steady hands. Her own hands were trembling treacherously, the involuntary movement stilled when she pressed them to the back of his spine, pulling him firmly against her.

When he moved away from her mouth, he quickly resumed the kiss. He settled his lips against her neck, his lips soothing before his teeth bit down, the sharp bite surprising.

Sharon arched her head back and pressed her lips together.

She let one hand follow the broad expanse of his clothed back and then curled her fingers around his neck, her fingers playing in the short strands of hair till he bit down around the skin of her neck again, then she crumbled her fingers around his neck, her nails digging into his skin.

Andy grunted and the sound against her throat tingled, the vibration coalescing in the pit of her abdomen. There was something so rough and unadulterated about the sound, something sensual. She felt ready to simply melt in his arms.

His tongue wandered down over her skin, soothing the bite before he went down to a lower point on her throat. He bestowed another soft kiss and then another rough bite.

She tightened her grip on his neck, the sound that left her throat guttural.

He roughly captured her lips again, a growl in the back of his throat and she hummed in response, her fingers tightening further around his neck.

His hand landed on the back of her spine and she felt him easing the zipper down in the back of her skirt, this time the motion of it was hurried, his other hand helping to get the zipper down as quickly as possible.

Sharon heard her own breath hitch and she quickly unbuttoned the last button in her shirt, throwing the garment to the floor. She nearly closed her eyes, the feeling of standing in her bra tinted by a burst of self-consciousness. She felt the material of her skirt slide down her thighs, his hands helping it along. She quickly unclasped her bra in the back and then slipped out of it, letting it fall unceremoniously to the floor.

She opened her eyes.

The next kisses he bestowed on her skin were moving rapidly downwards, toward her exposed chest and she took another breath and held it, the pressure inside her ready to implode at the contact. His lips went over her collarbone, down towards the slope of one breast.

Her skirt slipped down around her ankles and his hands clamped around her hips, his fingers diving under the hem of her underwear, the tip of his fingers just on the middle of her ass. His mouth covered her right nipple, the graze of his sharp teeth pressing around her areola.

He sucked her nipple into the warmth of his mouth, the fire of it shooting straight to her center in a throb.

He grasped harder around her ass and licked her nipple before he once again sucked it into his mouth, her fingers digging into the top of his shoulders, not sure if she was going to go through the skin or not.

He moved to the other breasts, the hot wave that hit her nipple when he swallowed it, pushing her over the brink.

It was just entirely too much.

She needed a small break to breathe – before she stopped breathing or even worse, fainted.

"Andy, I just – I just need a moment," she stopped him with a hand to his chest, her voice sounding foreign to herself. Hoarse and breathless, too deep and tremulous.

Andy instantly halted, his mouth letting her go. Cold air on her nipple tickled and she inhaled rather sharply, watching him straighten up. His dark eyes landed on her with concern.

His hand was warm around her shoulder, "Sure, sure."

"I just," she tried to explain, "I mean. It's a little overwhelming."

He softly touched her cheek, "Hey, I understand. Your pace, right."

"Right," she nodded, a bit angry at herself.

She tried to breathe, tried to force it out and regulate it into an unobstructed path of air but it kept escaping her.

She did not mind standing in only her underwear in front of him, she did not mind that she would be naked soon or that he would touch her, she did not mind that he would be so close that she would be able to feel him breathe, to feel his ribcage and diaphragm move. She was merely a bit nervous and a bit excited.

She was a fucking mess, sexually.

Well, she couldn't tell him that.

Andy caressed the side of her neck and then bestowed a slow and sweet kiss to her lips.

"Why don't you lie down?" he offered, his voice soft and calming, "I'll get out of my clothes and we can, you know, snuggle."

The words made her smile, the breath that left her lungs easier to expel.

"Oh," she hummed, "well, okay."

He nodded encouragingly.

"I like snuggling," she smiled.

"Me too," he leaned in to whisper, once again catching her lips in a slow kiss.

When he let go of her, his hands landed on his tie and he started undoing the knot, his eyes on her with a gleam.

Sharon inhaled sharply and then nodded again, backing into her bed and then quickly sitting down on the edge of it. She buried her hands in the bedding cover, the material thick and familiar beneath her fingers.

Andy quickly undid the buttons in his shirt, his white undershirt visible. His eyes rested on her as he undid his belt next, the corner of his mouth twitching when he undid his zipper.

Sharon watched him, her eyes on his bare arms when his shirt slipped to the floor.

She had touched his biceps on occasion, the muscles always strong beneath her touch. Now, she felt fascinated by the naked muscles, her lower abdomen quivering. She licked her lower lip and then pressed her lips together.

Sharon scooted back on the bed, aware that Andy unconsciously stopped his motions and instead followed her movement, his eyes on her breasts.

She smiled, excitement once again more prominent.

She pushed two throw pillows behind her back and then she looked at him, enjoying his movements. His pants slipped down and then he took the hem of his undershirt and pulled it over his head.

He was standing in only his boxers now, the color a calm blue.

She smiled and caught his eyes, her smile only widening.

Her eyes flickered downwards and this time she became acutely aware of him. The thick hairy thighs, the middle of his waist. The bulge, so much more noticeably and quantifiable, drew her gaze even more than any other thing about him. It was still covered and yet she could precisely draw the outline of it, the form huge as it stretched against the material.

It was enough to make her want to squirm, her core throbbing.

Her eyes were on it as he crawled on atop of the bedding as well.

She continued to look at it.

She felt breathless again, itching to reach out and grasp him and then on the other hand, she felt anxious. Ridiculous, really. It was just a goddamn penis.

"Hey?"

She looked up and tried a smile, "Hey."

His smile was relaxing.

His hand caressed her jaw, his fingers slipping behind her ear before he leaned in and kissed her again. His kiss coaxed her to lie down with him, on their sides facing each other. They were so close she could feel the warmth of his skin, so close she could feel his breath on her lips when he broke away. So close that the difference between kissing and not kissing consisted of an inch.

The position exposed her wholly; eye contact so vivid and intimate it encapsulated her in warmth.

Andy traced his hand down her body, from the side of her neck to the top of her shoulder, down the side of her arm and up along the curve of her waist before he returned to the start, his fingers soft against her neck. The touches delved under her skin, warm and consistent.

Sharon leaned forward, her chest pressed against his, the tingling of his chest hair against her nipples exalting before she captured his lips, seeking out his bottom lip and then sweeping her tongue in.

She tried to tell him how deep she was in love with him, her mouth eagerly on his, exploring and bringing him with her. The bed dipped and she felt the weight of him slide in over her. His chest heavy and his lower body on top, settling between her legs. He covered her fully in warmth and heaviness, pressing her into the soft bed cover, obscuring her view.

She spread her legs apart and curled first one leg around him and then the other. He slid closer to her center and she might have moaned at the chaste touch of their clothed groins.

He deepened the kiss and she felt his hand on her hips and then his fingers went under the band of her underwear. His hips elevated as he settled on his knees, slipping her underwear down her legs and then he threw the material behind him.

The skin on her inner thighs prickled as she spread her legs even more and she felt his fingers adjourn up from her knee, gliding up and up on the inside of her thigh until they edged so close to her center that she held her breath and closed her eyes.

She opened them again when he kissed her.

"Can I lick you?" he asked, his smile cheeky when she took in the arched eyebrow and the eyes that went in a south direction.

She hummed with a nod, too excited to speak.

He gave her a last, deep kiss and then his mouth moved south, giving her right breast a kiss in passing before he passed her navel. Her mouth fell apart in anticipation and her eyes fast locked on her ceiling.

His mouth landed on her lower abdomen, the skin sensitive and tingling as she felt his lips move down in a straight line, over the small trim of hair and then she felt his tongue go out and draw a line down through her folds, wet and soft.

She might have whimpered, her legs going even further apart as she made room for him to lie between her legs.

His hands caressed the sides of her calves and then he moved her legs over his shoulder and buried his face into her center, his mouth pressed hotly against her.

He started with long strokes of his tongue, wetting her and lulling her into a warm feeling, dousing and languid until his tongue circled her clitoris and then refocused all its attention on her bundle. Then pleasure curled through her in heat and fire, building and building, tension on top of more tension, till she felt her body tense up in tightness.

His mouth was hot on her, his hands warm on her lower abdomen drawing patterns while his tongue did its own patterns. It wound her up and up.

She closed her eyes and floated away in the feeling.

It simmered in her body, building up momentum in her inner walls and throughout her lower abdomen. Of all the things she had imagined, coming with his mouth on her clitoris and her hands in his hair, with muted moans, was not one of them. It blissfully overrode every thought she had – it forcefully exploded in her body and she felt like a spring coiled and coiled to the point where it suddenly uncoiled, springing.

Inside, she screamed.

Outside and for him, she moaned and passed her fingers through his hair, amazed.

…

_The street lights were slowly blinking out of existence, the crest of the horizon starting to lighten up. Dawn was breaking and darkness had been a cocoon of companionship until now. Daylight, and the reality of her life, brought a strange feeling that while euphoric also had a snip of self-awareness in it. _

_The car was parked and the engine died down with a low hum._

_Silence was brief._

"_Thank you for being there with me. For being my friend," Andy Flynn said, his smile warm when she turned her head to look at him in the driver's seat. _

_He chuckled, the tone somewhat coy, "For being my personal buffer but mostly for getting my head out of my ass."_

_The man was adorably unsure of himself. _

_Sharon leaned in across the console, her hand very shortly on his shoulder._

"_Oh, don't mention it. It was a beautiful wedding. I had a good time," she paused and smiled, " – and the company was not entirely too unpleasing."_

"_Are you calling me remotely unpleasing?" he joked with a lopsided smile, his eyes dark._

_She smiled back at him, her hand moving down to pat his forearm. In a more serious tone she told him, her eyes holding his, "I was happy to help you out, Andy. Your daughter is beautiful, and I could see a lot of you in her." _

_He smiled, "Thank you. It means a lot to me."_

_She nodded._

_They stared at each other for a while, holding eye contact that contained wide smiles. The moment was broken when a car door slammed outside in the parking lot. _

"_C'mon," he said, opening the door, "I'll follow you up."_

_Sharon followed him, her purse strap over her shoulder._

_Her feet felt sore when she walked, the heels snuck. _

_She had forgotten the numerous dances that were required of attending a wedding; not that she minded. _

_Her condominium complex loomed in front of them, still alight in the receding darkness and she happily took his offer of an arm. She looped her arm through his, her fingers gently on his wrist. _

_It felt completely natural to have him walk her inside, natural to walk this close to him, the stride slow. It felt natural until they actually made it inside her lobby and then suddenly, she felt something different than mere companionship. Something she could not pinpoint. _

_Maybe she was too conscious of herself; of him. Too conscious of the way it felt to walk this closely to him, his scent prominent and manly. It reminded her of lying naked in bed the scent of another person intense as you lay tangled in limbs, skin so close and warm. _

_It was a strange image seeing it was close to a decade since she had last lain in bed with a naked man; strange seeing she should not be thinking about Andy Flynn in that context._

_She blamed the wedding for the feeling. _

_Surely the whole ceremony and reception had brought out some remnant in her; some forgotten remnant of romance and some long-buried memory of being close to another human being, resurfaced at the notion of love being tied together in matrimony. That or she was merely so pathetic that simply walking next to a man had her nerves in a bundle. _

_It did not help that she still lingered in the feeling of dancing with him, the imprint of his hand splayed on her spine still fresh in her recollection, his chest close to hers and his hands warm and strong around hers. _

_She settled on pathetic and somewhat lonely; that would explain why she focused on his scent now. Why she found herself drawn toward his smile and dark eyes. Why she contemplated his form and how she would fit in his embrace. _

_She quickly reminded herself that not so long ago – two years to be exact – Andy Flynn had despised her very existence. She tried to recall the feeling of always being yelled at; the memory of him throwing his weight around and blaming her for what went wrong in his division. _

_It still did not stand much ground against the man she now knew. _

_He was different. _

_Considerate. _

_Loyal._

_Willing to change. _

_What stood out most, in light of the wedding, was his love. _

_The shine to his eyes, the brown color warm when he looked at his daughter. The smile that while hesitant and unsure, was full of love. _

_In front of the elevator in the lobby, she quickly disentangled herself from him. _

"_Well," she nervously wet her lips and then pushed the button, eyeing him out of the corner of her eye. _

"_So," he pushed his hands into his pockets, his smile carefree, "I guess this is goodnight."_

"_Yes," she clung desperately to the word, "yes, goodnight. It is. Goodnight, Andy."_

_She might as well have forcibly pushed him out the entrance door; she sounded aloof and uptight._

"_Goodnight Sharon and thank you," he told her again and then surprising her completely, he bestowed her with a cheek kiss, his mouth warm on her skin. _

"_I'll see you tomorrow," he gave her a full hand wave, his smile still playing on his lips._

_She smiled back, somewhat shakily and passed two fingers in the air for an awkward wave. _

_Of all things, the man put cracks in her composure; out of the blue and without much forewarning._

_She pushed the button for the elevator again, her eyes seeking out his retreating back as he walked out of her lobby. _

_When she was well hidden in the elevator, she focused on the kiss again. _

_It was friendly. _

_It was nothing dangerous. _

_Yet, she felt it very well could be. What if she had moved? What if he had kissed her closer to the edge of her mouth and she had turned her head? What if he kissed her again, the next time? Not that she was certain about what a next time would entail? _

_What if she wanted him to kiss her? Truly, on the mouth._

_She did not sleep much. _

_Instead she opted for a large cup of coffee._

_After her third cup, she had convinced herself that a kiss on the cheek was collegial. _

…

"_Working homicide, I would consider drinking coffee," Andy Flynn surprised her, "you know, something that will keep you awake and not put you to sleep."_

_Sharon looked over her shoulder, her fingers pausing on the assortment of teas she was pulling out of her purse. _

_The break room had been quiet like the rest of the building and she had thought she would be alone to bring her tea into the break room. She should have known better. Andy Flynn was a known night-raven; he practically lived in the building. _

"_What is that?" she asked him with a raised eyebrow and a pointed look. She had heard him just fine._

_The man sat down on a table, one foot on a chair. His tone was casual with a slight pinch of superiority, "Another bit of advice for the homicide rookie, simply. Tea is not gonna help you in the long run."_

_He gave the tea box currently in her hands a poignant look. _

_Sharon smiled cordially, "Some tea is caffeinated."_

"_Really?" he lifted an eyebrow, his voice full of disbelief._

"_Yes, lieutenant Flynn," she smiled wryly and then quickly took out the rest of her packed tea, quick to file them into the cabinet above her, neat next to a bag of coffee grind. _

"_You're gonna stand even more out like a sore thumb with a cup of tea in your hands, you know," he said, his tone suspiciously light, "I would make fun of you but I sorta saw this coming. Internal affairs is just the sort of place to cultivate a tea obsession." _

_Sharon looked back at him, taken aback by the light tone. _

_The man looked amused. _

_Four days in her new job and she was still waiting for him to blow up. Lieutenant Provenza was in full-blown offense mode and she had counted on Andy Flynn not being far behind. The man turned out to be supportive; the definition of surprise in her book. _

_She dangled a teabag in the air, her mouth curled around a smug smile, "You want a cup of mint tea, lieutenant? Is that what you are fishing for?"_

"_Oh god no," he chuckled "I will stick to my coffee."_

"_Your loss," she tried a smile._

_He smiled back. _

_Another surprise._

_The lieutenant continued to sit there, superior and self-assured on the table, staring at her while she fixed herself up with a cup of warm mint tea._

"_Is there anything I can do for you, lieutenant?" she wondered out aloud, her mouth pursed. She was being scrutinized, that much she knew. She was still waiting for him to point out all her flaws; why else seek her out if not to tell her she did not belong in Major Crimes?_

_She crossed her arms while she waited for the water to boil in the kettle, giving back the same smug smile. There was something he found amusing about the situation she could tell. Andy Flynn was not the first smug bastard to grace her professional life; she knew how to handle them. _

_He shook his head, the sly smirk barely suppressed._

"_Mike Tao might love a cup of tea," he told her, still smiling suspiciously, "and Buzz would not say no either."_

_She nodded, not sure why he was telling her. _

"_But whatever you do, don't ever offer tea to Provenza or Sanchez."_

_She couldn't help the smile, "And why is that?"_

"_Provenza will think even less of you and Julio will think you are weird. I say, wait at least four months before you start offering them mint tea."_

_She couldn't help but smile. Then in a fake sweet voice, she said, "Thank you for the advice."_

_The lieutenant rolled his eyes, "Oh, don't mention it."_

_His voice was rough and sarcastic; more in lieu of what she expected of him. _

"_And what about you?" she asked him, her eyes curiously on him, "what do you think of me?"_

"_I think you're the boss now," he shrugged, that cheeky smile that she knew too well fully fledged. The man knew his way around disarming smiles, that was sure. _

_She shook her head and then gave him an eye roll. _

_After a brief pause, her back turned to him as she took the kettle off and poured the hot water into a cup, he spoke again._

"_So, that mint tea? Is that caffeinated?"_

_Sharon turned around, her mouth twisting into a smile, "Why yes."_

_She stared back at him, waiting._

_He smiled, his eyes dark, "Well, count me in. I will try it then."_

_Sharon took out another cup and put in a tea bag, pouring water in._

_She watched him take the cup and give it a suspicious look. _

_She shook her head again and quickly ducked it before he could read the amusement on her face. _

_Maybe Andy Flynn was the least of her worries. _

…

In the aftermath haze of climax, she barely noticed the heavy, eager kisses that were put on her skin from her hip to her shoulder. She barely comprehended the pause and the sudden rustle, her eyes still closed.

The man settled between her legs again and the naked feel of his erection against her wet center, surely woke her up from sated pleasure.

His eyes were on hers, gleaming with something that looked smug and happy.

She smiled back, leaning up and meeting his lips.

They were warm and slightly wet, her own taste on them pronounced.

He was hard against her entrance, gorged and thick. She was wet enough, his tongue having done its part and so when he pushed, he slipped in slowly, inch by inch till he fully filled her out. The friction reverberated through her in ecstasy, hot and almost unbearable. His fingers latched onto her hips and he pushed himself even deeper, her moan at the contact higher than any moan she had emitted before.

She wrapped her legs around his middle, enjoying the small change in angle, even more noticeable when he moved out and then slid into her again.

His mouth found hers, the kiss sloppy as he started moving.

The rhythm was slow. Slow enough that she felt the entire length of him slide into her with a press that curled through her entire body. The friction of it, the whole notion of it, had her toes curling with tension, still high enough from her orgasm to feel like she might have another on the spot.

She curled her hands around his arms, the muscles flexing beneath her as he pounded into her.

His lips landed on her neck, the breath warm.

She had no concept of time, not like this. She was lost in the feeling of him, on top and wonderfully heavy, his penis, hard and filling her out, sliding into her with ease and then out again, the contact quivering in her abdomen.

The pleasure of it tingled and tingled, simmering low.

They changed position. His hands were once again certain as they softly left feathery touches on her skin, his mouth landing on the back of her shoulder when she turned around on her side, her back to his chest. He slid into her again, the angle new and exciting, the press of him against her once again hard and thick.

He pushed his hips into her, his length pushing deeper.

She liked this position, her ass backed up to his groin as he spooned her from behind, his chest sturdy and warm to fit against. She tugged her legs a bit higher and pushed back against him, humming in pleasure.

He snuck a kiss behind her ear, whispering something she thought sounded much like a declaration of love.

Then he started up a slow rhythm, the friction of his penis becoming thicker inside her enough to make her walls cling to him, enough to make her insides feel like the sizzling before an explosion. He slipped into her again and again, the impact almost alike to an orgasm.

He found her hand and she tightened her hold on him, his warm fingers a welcome.

When he sped up, she muffled her voice into the bedding, her skin prickling and tingling.

By the time he was grunting into the side of her neck, his breath perturbed and his rhythm steady yet fast, she felt like liquid heat just a flicker from imploding. He was close she could tell by his heavy breaths. And then he surprised her, his hand around her thigh and lifting it up till he could touch her folds and clitoris, his fingers certain on her as he continued to pound into her.

She came again, too surprised this time to censor herself. She came hard and almost painfully, not even aware that his rhythm changed and became erratic as he too came, his voice gruff and hot against her skin.

She slipped into the haze again.

She felt him slip out of her, tugging his condom off.

She curled more tightly into a ball, feeling strangely sated and drowsy, breathing in slowly and exhaling even slower.

Andy leaned in and kissed her cheek, lingering as he kissed her again. Then the bed dipped and he moved away and she listened to his footsteps as he moved out to the hall and the bathroom.

After a couple of minutes he came back and she felt the bed dip when he lay down next to her again, once again covering her in warmth.

Sharon turned around in his embrace.

She smiled and kissed him, happy to linger in the feeling.

Throughout the night she felt wide awake and unable to go to sleep. Next to her under the covers, Andy's arm slung across her waist every now and then. The man slept peacefully, snoring softly. She lay still and counted his breaths and then tried to imitate them. Still, she stayed awake, only slumbering on and off. It was simply just the strange sensation of sleeping next to someone that kept her up; it was new and exciting. Or maybe it was the fulfilment of everything that kept her awake.

She must have fallen asleep after all because he woke her up with kisses and the promise of more.

…

The end. =)

Thank you for all the comments =)


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